Alexander wurts



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ALEXANDER VURTS, OF PITTSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO THEWESTINGHOUSE ELECTRIC AND MANUFACTURING COMPANY, OF SAME PLACE.

RHEOSTAT.

EBPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 505,911, dated October3. 1893.

Application filed December 22, 1392- Serial No. 456,077- (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, ALEXANDER WURTs, a citizen of the United States,residing in Pittsburg, in the county of Allegheny and State ofPennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Rheostats,(Case No. 524,) of which the following. isa specification.

My invention has relation to an improvement in rheostats for useparticularly with cars, and is best adapted to rheostats designed to beplaced underneath the car.

The object of my invention is to supply a rheostat which shall combinecheapness of material and ease of construction with comparative immunityfrom heating. With this end, 1 have devised the-rheostat illustrated inthe accompanying drawings, wherein Figure 1 is a front elevation andFig. 2 a transverse section of my rheostat.

In the construction of my rheostat, the resistances are composed of wiregauze or netting, through a greater or less length of which, the currentmay be made to pass, in regulating its quantity. As shown in Fig. 1, thegauze strips, 1, are fastened at their ends in a frame 2, said stripsbeing connected in any desired or well known order, but preferably inseries as shown, by means of the conductors 3. As illustrated in Fig. 2,four rows of resistance strips are shown; but obviously any desirednumber may be employed. The current may be taken off at any desiredpoint, as for example, at the binding screws, 4, shown in Fig. 1. Toprevent sagging and swinging of the resistance strips whereby shortcircuits might be produced, I prefer to employ non-conducting strips, 5,preferably of non-inflammable material, as asbestus, interwoven withsaid strips at intervals.

It will be seen that in my arrangement of resistance strips, the utmostfacility is afforded for circulation of air for cooling purposes aroundthe resistances themselves, and that such circulation is furtherpromoted by the nature of the strips themselves, the meshesof the gauzeor netting permitting free passage of the air. The advantages of thisarrangement particularly fit my rheostat to use in electric railwaycars.

It is frequently necessary and in this instance desirable to locate arheostat underneath the car, where dirt and dust is apt to collect. Thenature of my resistance strips is such that dust will not gather on themand they can very easily be cleaned.

NVhat I claim is- 1. In a rheostat, resistance strips composed of wiregauze or netting, substantially as described.

2. In a rheostat, a frame, strips of Wire,

scribed my name this 20th day of December,

ALEXANDER VVURTS.

Witnesses:

JAMEs W. SMITH, HAROLD S. MAOKAYE.

